Top Programs and Events in January and February

Included in this advisory are key programs and events at the
Denver Museum of Nature & Science that aim to inspire curiosity
and excite minds of all ages through scientific
discovery.

TEMPORARY EXHIBITION

NEW! Lizards & Snakes -FREE with
Admission

Opens February 3

See 60 live animals at the Museum. The Burmese python, Gila
monster, komodo dragon, green basilisk, and more star in this
fascinating exhibition. Featuring an impressive lineup of lizards
and snakes from five continents, Lizards & Snakes introduces
visitors to these adaptable, colorful, and sometimes dangerous
creatures. The engaging combination of live animals, real and
cast fossils, extensive multimedia, hands-on interactives, and an
activity area specifically for children offers a fascinating look
into the wild world of lizards and snakes that will enthrall and
educate visitors of all ages.

SPECIAL OFFER

FREE Field Trips for 2011-2012 School Year

The Museum is offering free exhibition admission and free
self-guided tours to all school groups and organized youth groups
this school year. Additionally, the Museum is offering scholarships
to cover bus fuel costs and to reduce fees for onsite labs and
classes. As the region's leading resource for informal science
education, the Museum hosts more than 300,000 students and their
chaperones each year. The organization is committed to making
science affordable, fun, exciting, and engaging. Learn more
at www.dmns.org/teachers.

PHOTOGRAPHY EXHIBIT

A Strange Beauty, Photographic Studies by John Bonath -
FREE with Admission

Closes February 19

The first exhibition of its kind and scale, "A Strange Beauty,"
presents some of the Museum's scientific treasures-such as snake
skin sheds, horse skulls, rocks, and minerals-to the public in the
form of art. Bonath's work portrays his belief that in this world
every object has a story that can be unlocked by the viewer's
imagination.

IMAX

NEW! Tornado Alley 3D

Opens January 27

Experience the adrenaline and the science of nature's most
dramatic phenomena. Join Storm Chasers star Sean Casey and
the researchers of Vortex 2, the most ambitious effort ever made to
understand the origins and evolution of tornadoes, in this
heart-pounding science adventure.

NEW! Flying Monsters

Opens January 27

Uncover the truth about the mysterious pterosaurs, whose
wingspans of up to 40 feet were equal to that of a modern jet
plane. Enter the lush and alien environment in which these
creatures lived, and experience real flying monsters.

PLANETARUIM

NEW!Wildest Weather in the Solar
System

Opens January 27

Take a spectacular journey to witness the most beautiful,
powerful, and mysterious weather phenomena in the solar system.
After seeing a storm the size of a 100-megaton hydrogen bomb and a
400-year-old hurricane, you'll be glad you live on Earth.

JANUARY EVENTS

A Zoologist's Amazing Mongolian Adventures

Wednesday, January 18, 7 p.m., $8 member, $10
nonmember

Last summer, Zoology Department chair John Demboski joined a
field expedition to Mongolia to study the country's vertebrate
animals. Demboski returned with a load of scientific data as well
as remarkable tales of fermented mare's milk, wild gerbils and
hamsters, efforts to save the very endangered Gobi bear, an
unexpected run-in with local shakedown artists, and bad
combinations of snow in July and unreliable Russian vehicles, all
topped off by meeting the U.S. Ambassador to Mongolia in the middle
of nowhere.

SCFD Community FREE Day

January 30, 9 a.m.-5 p.m., FREE

Enjoy outstanding permanent exhibitions including Expedition
Health, Space Odyssey, Prehistoric Journey, and Egyptian Mummies;
and participate in games and activities for the whole family.

(If sold out online, tickets available at the door.)Enjoy a
mind-expanding experience with cocktails and entertainment every
third Thursday of the month. Ages 21 and up. This month, it's no
secret that Coloradans love their snow. Whether you're always on
the lookout for the next Epic Pass-worthy, call-in-sick powder day,
or just love a good snowball fight, you'll get to know snow like
never before. Chill out with our signature cocktail, The Frostini,
as you learn about the crystalline structure of snowflakes, the
physics of skiing, and how moguls migrate uphill.

60 Minutes in Space

Wednesday, January 25, 7 p.m., FREE

Go "behind the stories" in space science using the best images
and animation available to help understand new developments.
Seating is limited to first come, first served.

FEBRUARY EVENTS

Darwin Day with Sean B. Carroll

Monday, February 13, 7 p.m., $12 member, $15
nonmember

Celebrate Charles Darwin's birthday with award-winning biologist
and author Sean B. Carroll. His research focuses on the genes that
control animal body patterns and play major roles in the evolution
of animal diversity. Thanks to modern science, Carroll has
discovered biological causes for evolution using technology that
didn't exist in Darwin's day, providing the missing link to
Darwin's history-changing research.

(If sold out online, tickets available at the door.) Enjoy a
mind-expanding experience with cocktails and entertainment every
third Thursday of the month. Ages 21 and up. This month, they may
not send chocolate or flowers, but lizards and snakes have spent
millions of years doing whatever it takes to impress their mates.
In honor of Valentine's Day, we're taking a cue from these
romance-savvy animals that understand the language of love. Learn
the courtship dances of the monitor lizard and bearded dragon, tour
the Lizards & Snakes exhibition, and head to the bar for The
Snakebite.

As usual, the big guys get all the attention. The large,
dramatic fossils of mammoths and mastodons stole the spotlight at
the Ice Age dig site near Snowmass Village, but as the science
continues, evidence keeps piling up for the little creatures.
Richard Stucky, curator of paleoecology and evolution, will
introduce you to the lesser-known characters of the Snowmastodon
Project-like chipmunks, voles, salamanders, and shrews. What you
will learn may surprise you, and will just go to show how resilient
the little guys can be.

About the Denver Museum of Nature &
Science
The Denver Museum of Nature & Science is the Rocky Mountain
Region's leading resource for informal science education. A variety
of engaging exhibits, discussions and activities help Museum
visitors celebrate and understand the natural wonders of Colorado,
Earth and the universe. The Museum is located at 2001 Colorado
Blvd., Denver, CO, 80205. To learn more about the Museum,
check www.dmns.org, or call 303-370-6000.

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Many of the Museum's educational programs and exhibits are made
possible in part by the citizens of the seven-county metro area
through the Scientific & Cultural Facilities District.